SPACE com - TORONTO Canada -- A second team of rocketeers competing for the 36 10 million Ansari X Prize a contest for privately funded suborbital space flight has officially announced the first launch date for its manned rocket ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - The man who claims Gov James E Mc Greevey sexually harassed him was pushing for a cash settlement of up to 36 50 million before the governor decided to announce that he was gay and had an extramarital affair sources told The Associated Press ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Government in South Indian state of Kerala sets up wireless kiosks as part of initiative to bridge digital divide ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

NEW YORK Reuters - Staples Inc lt A HREF http www investor reuters com Full Quote aspx ticker SPLS O target stocks quickinfo fullquote gt SPLS O lt A gt the top U S office products retailer on Tuesday reported a 39 percent jump in quarterly profit raised its full-year forecast and said it plans to enter the fast-growing Chinese

BAGHDAD Iraq - A national political conference 39 s bid to end the fighting in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Najaf appeared to have failed Tuesday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

USATODAY com - The Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to vote Wednesday to prohibit mutual fund companies from funneling stock trades to brokerage firms that agree to promote their funds to investors ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr reportedly agrees to end an uprising in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Reuters - U S shoppers have kept a tight grip on their wallets this holiday season with indices on Tuesday showing sluggish sales in the second week of the season ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

NEW YORK Reuters - Pharmacy chain CVS Corp on Thursday said it would offer the world's first disposable digital camera with a bright color viewing screen that allows consumers to instantly preview pictures ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Manning had a decent debut as a starter but Delhomme overshadowed the No 1 pick in the NFL Draft by throwing for a touchdown and running for another in the Carolina Panthers 39 27-20 exhibition victory last night over ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

NAJAF Iraq Reuters - Rebel Shi'ite fighters appeared still to be in control of the Imam Ali mosque in the Iraqi city Najaf early on Saturday but the whereabouts of their leader the fiery cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were unknown ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Belarus 39 Yuliya Nesterenko became the fastest woman to qualify for the women 39 s 100 meters second round at the Olympic Games here on Friday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Aramis Ramirez hit a three-run homer Moises Alou also homered and the Chicago Cubs beat the Houston Astros 11-6 on Sunday in the testy conclusion of a three-game series between the NL Central rivals ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Australian budget airline Virgin Blue announced Monday it will increase the fuel surcharge it adds to ticket prices from Aug 26 because of soaring oil prices ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Botswana's giant Debswana diamond mining firm says it will sack workers who carry on with an illegal stoppage ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

THE phoney war over the fate of Abbey grinds on Along the way on all sides it is producing its predictable crop of knowing winks and destabilising nudges ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said his country does not plan to deploy forces to Darfur in western Sudan but will provide technical assistance ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Reuters - The Arctic Barents Sea is under threat from overfishing oil and gas exploration and Soviet-era radioactive waste the U N Environment Program said on Tuesday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

NTT Do Co Mo will release a handset compatible with non-Japanese cellular networks and with its own 3G third generation mobile network early next year ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Reuters - David Ortiz thumped two homers and drove in four runs to fire the Boston Red Sox to an 11-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Wednesday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

New Exilim models include the thinnest version yet featuring a new ceramic lens ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

LAGOS - Nigeria 39 s Senate has passed a resolution asking Shell 39 s Nigerian unit to pay 1 5 billion in compensation to oilfield communities for pollution a Senate spokesman said ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

How does he like lobster Boiled steamed broiled baked grilled Newburg Bahar Uttam prefers his with a capital L -- Lobsters -- and sees them frolicking on a tennis court rather than laid out on a plate In Uttam's mind lurks a tasty dish for the town's sporting crowd one that could satisfy the five-year hunger of tennis junkies a

Northern Ireland 39 s politicians have an anxious wait as the Reverend Ian Paisley decides whether to endorse an historic deal with Sinn Fein ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

ATHENS Greece - For Marion Jones Sydney must seem far more than half a world away Those Olympics were some dreamland where she ruled track and field with a golden touch and a sweet smile winning five medals ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Commack NY Sports Network - Second-seeded Lleyton Hewitt reached Sunday 39 s final at the 380 000 TD Waterhouse Cup -- a final US Open tune-up ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

LONDON - A retired Connecticut pilot has become the oldest person to swim the English Channel George Brunstad 70 left Dover England Saturday morning heading for the French Coast ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

TOKYO Reuters - Japanese stocks were flat in mid-morning trade on Monday with confidence in the domestic economic outlook failing to offset profit-taking that hit recent gainers such as insurers and real estate stocks ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Powerful Typhoon Chaba has plowed into southern Japan sweeping at least four people to their deaths and injuring more than 30 as it knocked out power to thousands ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

ALEX RAE was in hospital yesterday for a scan on his injured knee after playing through the pain barrier in Sunday 39 s Old Firm clash ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Reuters - Conditions for 1 2 million Sudanese displaced in Darfur continue to worsen amid violent attacks spreading disease and heavy rains which wreak havoc with aid convoys United Nations agencies said on Tuesday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Gunmen opened fire Wednesday on a convoy carrying former Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmad Chalabi in an apparent assassination attempt that wounded two of his bodyguards Chalabi 39 s spokesman said ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Crude oil futures surged Wednesday as the US Energy Department reported US oil supplies fell more than expected Crude oil for October delivery rose 1 68 dollars to 43 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

A campaign begins to collect old mobile phones and convert them into alarms for women who are attacked in the home ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Forbes com - Like Network Appliance many top tech firms are snapping up Linux programmers hoping to influence the way the operating system evolves The trick is to hire programmers closest to Linux creator Linus Torvalds Torvalds oversees Linux development but he delegates pieces of the system to the 25 or so code maintainers like Trond Myklebust at Net App

Reuters - Democrat John Kerry on Friday dismissed the Republican convention as bitter and insulting and promised to be a U S president who would tell Americans the truth ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Brian Kerr took his Ireland squad to the dogs last Wednesday but the evening spent watching greyhounds race was not solely about relaxation ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Reuters - France remained hopeful on Sunday that two French hostages in Iraq would be freed and a religious fatwa issued in Iraq demanded their release ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Freshman Brent Schaeffer threw for one touchdown and ran for another Sunday as the 14th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers defeated the UNLV Rebels 42-17 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

BUOYED by ever-increasing crowd figures and television ratings rugby union yesterday announced a significant expansion of the southern hemisphere season which includes an assault on the traditional September AFL and NRL finals series ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Brandon Backe pitched seven innings and clubbed a two-run homer the first of his major league career to earn the Houston Astros an 11-5 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Monday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

TEHRAN IRNA -- Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani stressed that Iran 39 s recent test of the Shahab-3 missile was successful saying his ministry is ready to test it again 39 in the presence of observers 39 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Reuters - Nokia the world's biggest handset maker unveiled on Wednesday a miniature version of its equivalent of the Swiss Army knife it hopes will lure women and less-techie business people ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - Some in Michigan who roll up their sleeves to donate blood will get a racetrack T-shirt hat and pin Sponsors in San Diego have given away whale-watching trips On Wednesday the Cleveland Regional Transit Authority handed out vouchers for a pint of any beverage including beer in exchange for a pint of blood ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

LONDON September 9 New Ratings - Santander Central Hispano BSD 2 FSE has indicated that it is selling a 2 51 stake in Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc in an attempt to seek regulatory approval to acquire UKs Abbey National Plc ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Strong international sales growth and solid U S comps propel the company's stock to its highest price ever ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Andy Roddick of the United States ran into a bold bigger version of himself at the US Open and 6-foot-6 Joachim Johansson of Sweden sent the defending champion home ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Reuters - Thousands of Italians marched silently through Rome in a candlelit procession on Friday to demand the release of two female aid workers seized in Baghdad ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Reuters - The United States piled pressure on Sudan Wednesday to accept a more powerful monitoring force in Darfur with a new U N draft resolution threatening sanctions on its oil industry ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - Dave Wannstedt wasn't happy with Jay Fiedler on Saturday and the feeling was mutual Wannstedt benched Fiedler at halftime of the Miami Dolphins' 17-7 loss to the Tennessee Titans and the quarterback said he was disappointed about the quick hook ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Annika Sorenstam won her fifth LPGA Tour event of the year closing with a 1-under 70 Sunday for a four-shot victory at the John Q Hammons Classic ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

By DANIEL YEE ALPHARETTA Ga AP -- Because defibrillators are more affordable than ever they are quickly becoming commonplace in schools businesses and other public places such as airports ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

TOKYO Reuters - Tokyo's Nikkei share average was up 0 56 percent in early morning trade on Tuesday as another jump in U S technology shares encouraged investors to step up buying in local counterparts such as Advantest Corp ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

An election campaign parades the political divide in the community Yesterday amid the extraordinary uncertainty about whether Australians had been taken hostage in Iraq we saw the glue that unites the two sides of politics ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

WASHINGTON Reuters - The Dalai Lama's special envoy has arrived in China for talks on the exiled spiritual leader's aspirations for Tibetan autonomy the third such visit in three years officials in Washington said on Tuesday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Rafael Benitez has admitted Liverpool can finally end speculation over Steven Gerrard 39 s future with a good Champions League campaign ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Former world driving champion Jacques Villeneuve of Canada has signed a deal to drive for the Swiss-based Sauber Petronas Formula One team next season ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Technology shares edged up in Asia on Tuesday as crude oil prices hovered near 44 a barrel and the dollar languished ahead of key US economic data ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - European Parliament legislators on Thursday turned a fight over abortion rights in Portugal into an emotional and divisive debate on women's rights and the division between church and state ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Revamped keyboard is key feature of the 7100v which is headed for European and Asian shores ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Goldman Sachs Group Inc may be in talks with the founding family of top Japanese consumer finance firm Takefuji Corp for a stake of over 2 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

On the eve of a grid-computing conference Big Blue says five companies and the EPA have plans to build grids ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

ATHENS Some 70 000 spectators filled the Athens Olympic stadium to watch the densely choreographed and emotionally-charged opening ceremony of the 12th Paralympics the world 39 s premier competition for disabled athletes ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

People in Florida and Alabama have started to clean up after hurricane Ivan - the third such pummelling for Florida alone in just five weeks ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The Canadian government is getting out of the oil-and-gas business by selling off its stake in Petro-Canada for about 3 1 billion ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Following his arrest in May the teenage computer wizard admitted to police he wrote the code for Sasser and more than two dozen Netsky viruses that wreaked havoc across the Internet during the first few months of 2004 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Cisco IBM Microsoft and SAP have the most loyal customers in IT according to a report released today The fact that they are some of the biggest most successful IT vendors in ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

com September 20 2004 6 13 PM PT This fourth priority 39 s main focus has been improving or obtaining CRM and ERP software for the past year and a half ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Internet advertising revenues jumped 40 percent in the first half of this year driven largely by the growing popularity of keyword ads tied to search results ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

When outsourcing IT operations offshore companies often focus on lower costs and more productivity -- and fail to keep in mind the cultural differences that could affect their security said experts at the Gartner IT Security Summit ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - President Bush straddling the worlds of diplomacy and re-election politics is getting in another meeting with a foreign leader before hitting the road to Pennsylvania a state at the top of his campaign wish list ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - Israel's evacuation of the Gaza Strip will begin next summer and will take about 12 weeks Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Wednesday reversing an earlier decision to speed up the pullout ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Carlos Zambrano picked up his career high 15th win combining with two pitchers on a six-hit shutout to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 1-0 victory on Wednesday night over ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Reuters - Japanese baseball players and club representatives reached a deal Thursday to end the first strike in the 70-year history of the sport in Japan with owners agreeing to let newcomers into the leagues as early as next season ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

A high-ranking Palestinian Liberation Organization delegation led by Chairman Mahmoud Abbas held landmark talks with the Syrian leaders in Damascus Monday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Cadbury Schweppes Plc the maker of Dr Pepper and 7Up said results will be at the lower 39 39 end of the range it has targeted in the current fiscal year because of lack of demand in the US and European drinks markets ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Sports Network - A sensational pitching matchup is on tap at Fenway Park this evening when Pedro Martinez and the Boston Red Sox welcome Mike Mussina and the hated New York Yankees to town for another chapter in baseball 39 s fiercest rivalry ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Hideki Matsui homered and drove in two runs Friday night as the New York Yankees increased their division lead with a 6-4 win over Boston ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The benchmark two-year US Treasury note had its biggest weekly decline in a month on speculation the Federal Reserve will follow up this week 39 s interest-rate increase with at least one more this year ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Serena Williams got back to winning ways with victory over US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final of the China Open on Sunday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

On Sunday voters rejected government-backed plans to simplify naturalisation procedures for second-generation foreigners They also turned down a proposal to grant children born in Switzerland to foreign parents the automatic right to a Swiss passport ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

A leader of a Philippine communist breakaway group has been killed in what may be rivalry among former comrades The shooting is the latest in a series of assassinations of Communist Party defectors ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Ly-Huong Pham becomes the supercomputer maker's senior vice president of operations and Peter Ungaro is made senior vice president for sales marketing and services ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Without acknowledging responsibility for the car-bombing death of a Hamas activist in Syria Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim yesterday issued a toughly worded ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

SHANGHAI China -- Defending champion Mark Philippoussis suffered a first round humiliation in the Shanghai Open losing to unheralded American Glenn Weiner 3-6 6-4 6-4 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Taiwan Foreign Minister Chen Tan- sun who dismissed Singapore as a country the size of a booger 39 39 regretted his improper wording 39 39 said Foreign Ministry spokesman Michel Lu ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Aimed at making cheaper PCs Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled low-cost Windows XP Starter Edition operating systems in India in Hindi targetting the first-time home users ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Company's third open-source contribution is the first time it has shared code for actual application ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AFP - Some 20 people gather for a lunch of whale meat and potatoes inside a large wooden building facing a frozen fjord bathed in sunlight No these are not tourists on vacation but rather criminals serving time in one of Greenland's open penal centers ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Linux seller plans to release Netscape Enterprise Suite as open-source software in a bid to expand beyond its core product ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Three bombs exploded at a neighborhood celebration today in western Baghdad killing 35 children and seven adults officials said ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Quirky stick-figure Kingdom of Loathing shows continued promise of independent game-writing ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

MONTREAL - Molson Inc has served up a warning of disappointing summer-quarter earnings saying sales have been slow in Canada and profitability has been squeezed in Brazil ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

GAZA Reuters - The Israeli army killed two militants Saturday in an air strike in the northern Gaza Strip bringing the number of Palestinians Israel has killed in one of its deadliest Gaza raids to 39 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

SHANGHAI Argentina 39 s Guillermo Canas dominated Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic to book his place in the final of the 380 000-dollar ATP Shanghai Open tennis tournament against unheralded German Lars Burgsmuller ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

French security forces have arrested 20 people suspected of being members of the outlawed Basque separatist group Eta Most were Spaniards living in the Basque region of south-western France ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Palm One 39 s Tungsten T5 comes with 256MB of flash memory so you never risk losing your data If you 39 re a pack-rat type who likes to keep a lot of data you can 39 t afford to lose on your personal digital assistant Palm One has a handheld for you ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

TOKYO Rising oil prices are unlikely to deal a major blow to global economic growth although the trend may seem quot uncomfortable quot a researcher with the International Monetary Fund says ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The Cook Islands receive more tourists per capita than any other South Pacific destination Now authorities are revamping their tourism strategy to focus on preservation ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Insurgents exploded two car bombs at the gates of the main US -Iraqi headquarters in Baghdad and near major hotels Monday killing at least 21 people and wounding 96 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

CHICAGO Reuters - Acuity Brands Inc lt A HREF http www investor reuters com Full Quote aspx ticker AYI N target stocks quickinfo fullquote gt AYI N lt A gt a maker of lighting products and specialty chemicals on Tuesday said quarterly profit rose 87 percent due to improved sales lower operating expenses and a lower tax rate ___ ___

Reuters - Britain's Tony Blair flew to Khartoum on Wednesday as the most senior yet in a parade of Western government figures seeking to pressure Sudanese officials over violence in Darfur province ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

A sports psychologist says how footballers should prepare themselves for the high-pressure penalties ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The radioactive element could be used to make weapons just as dangerous as enriched uranium bombs ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

A decades-long struggle between the world's two largest aircraft makers escalated into a trade war between the United States and Europe just as France-based Airbus stepped up plans to challenge Boeing for lucrative US defense contracts ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Amelie Mauresmo comfortably came through her first match since taking over at the top of the world rankings The Frenchwoman reached the quarter-finals of the Porsche Grand Prix in Filderstadt with a 7-5 6-4 win over Switzerland 39 s Patty Schynder ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

WASHINGTON October 08 Online As Afghans prepare for their first presidential elections on October 9 President Hamid Karzai a Pashtun is being challenged by over a dozen factional leaders but most Afghans and international officials expect him to ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Pro baseball AL Division Series -- Anaheim vs Red Sox at Fenway Park Game 3 4 p m ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

MUTV bosses have hit back strongly at allegations of bias levelled against them by a group of Manchester United supporters United 39 s official television station was targeted by fans who disrupted live coverage of the reserve-team match at Altrincham ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The Socceroos lead the Solomon Islands 4-0 at half-time in their Confederations Cup qualifier in Honiara A double from midfielder Josip Skoko and strikes to Ante Milicic and the impressive Brett Emerton have ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

After coming up with one big play after another Florida left it up to the defense to save the game one final time in Saturday night 39 s 24-21 loss to LSU ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

A report on pensions commissioned by the Government will be highly critical of Labour 39 s record on the issue saying that people are saving far less for retirement than official figures show ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Socceroo forward Harry Kewell loosens up by tossing around a ball at Bondi beach yesterday Photo Craig Golding There were half a dozen Socceroos standing on a raised platform in Sydney 39 s ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

PARIS The open-source computer system known as Linux won a tough battle over Microsoft earlier this year when the city of Munich decided to change the operating software of 14 000 government computers despite the personal intervention of Steve Ballmer ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

JERUSALEM Reuters - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon launched new efforts Tuesday to widen his shaky coalition after a stinging setback in parliament that complicated his plan to withdraw from some occupied territory ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Microsoft has warned of seven newly found flaws in its software that could allow an attacker to steal data and take over a personal computer running the Windows operating system ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The US Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to decide which gas station owners can claim refunds from Exxon Mobil Corp in a 1 1 billion class-action lawsuit involving alleged fuel overcharges ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - Next October Chase Austin will finally be old enough to drive to the grocery store by himself By then though he'll also have a full season of stock car racing under his belt ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

JAKARTA BANGKOK DPA Thailand under growing pressure to repatriate some 100 orangutans allegedly smuggled into the country from Indonesia plans to shift the apes from a private zoo to a safe centre probably in Chiang Mai a minister said on Thursday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Austrian goalkeeper Alex Manninger could miss the rest of the season after dislocating his shoulder in Wednesday 39 s World Cup qualifying draw with Northern Ireland ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Malcolm Glazer 39 s bid for Manchester United is dead in the water after major shareholders John Magnier and JP Mc Manus told the American there was no basis for a deal ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The UN has chosen Argentina Denmark Greece Japan and Tanzania as the five states to become non-permanent members of the Security Council next year ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Boston -- The Red Sox got their hoped-for rain on Friday and after the deluge things are looking up for Boston Because of the postponement Pedro Martinez may pitch Game 5 and in another development 21-game winner Curt Schilling is back under ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

WHILE Zimbabwe 39 s international playing future hangs in the balance the Zimbabwe Cricket Union has been cleared of racism by the International Cricket Council ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Broadband service may get a little broader in the next few years now that the Federal Communications Commission is graciously stepping out of the way ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

A deadly explosion has hit a car carrying an election worker in southeastern Afghanistan In all five people were killed including the worker identified as a local physician who helped organize the vote ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Buffalo NY October 18 2004 - - Buffalo 39 s dominant airlines is 1 of 2 carriers that 39 s taking drastic cost cutting steps to stay in the air ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Tens of thousands of General Motors workers across Europe were set to stop working on Tuesday in a sign of solidarity with their German colleagues who face massive job cuts ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The record level of debt carried by American households and soaring home prices do not appear to represent serious threats to the US economy Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Tuesday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

EAST RUTHERFORD NJ - In some ways the New Jersey Nets are searching for an identity as much as the expansion Charlotte Bobcats It 39 s the price of being dismantled in the offseason ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

In effort to expand market share firm says it will invest 100M in Disney 39 s money-losing business NEW YORK Reuters - Children 39 s Place Retail Stores Inc ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann was left red-faced in Athens as two costly mistakes ensured that a Champions League victory slipped through his sides fingers again ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Well not the world maybe but possibly your lawns and kitchens The use of robots -- especially as domestic help -- is expected to increase sevenfold by 2007 according to the United Nations ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Webshots users offer their photos of Bill Gates mansion in Medina Wash ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

General Motors hopes to make its hulking Hummer lineup quot more approachable quot with a new midsize sport utility vehicle scheduled to go on sale next spring ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

MADRID Reuters - Severiano Ballesteros said on Friday he has made such a dramatic recovery from his back problems that he hopes to play a full season next year on both sides of the Atlantic ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - A roadside bomb exploded near an American military patrol in Baghdad Saturday injuring six soldiers the U S command said ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Suicide bombers killed at least 22 members of Iraq 39 s fledgling security forces yesterday amid a spate of insurgent attacks across the country that also ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - A large explosion shook downtown Baghdad on Sunday night but its cause could not immediately be determined ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

They beat a bunch of bad teams -- some just barely -- to become the first team in franchise history to get off to a 5-0 start Still we couldn 39 t tell just how good the Jets really were ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor Inc said Monday its third-quarter net profit more than tripled from same period last year thanks to steady global prices for memory chips ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Baltimore MD Sports Network - Baltimore Ravens All-Pro offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden could miss this week 39 s game at Philadelphia against the undefeated Eagles because of a left hamstring injury ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

US Secretary of State Colin Powell ends his tour of Asia by once again asking North Korea to resume nuclear talks ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AFP - Incumbent Hamid Karzai drew quot great happiness quot from his lead in Afghanistan's presidential election his spokesman said but will not claim victory until results are officially certified ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Linux desktop vendor Xandros Inc on Tuesday announced the availability of its new Xandros Desktop Management Server xDMS application which gives IT administrators the tools to roll out configure and maintain mass deployments of Linux-equipped PCs ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - United Microelectronics Corp 151 the world's No 2 producer of made-to-order chips 151 on Wednesday reported that its third-quarter net profit more than doubled on year as shipments of chips for mobile phones and other gadgets increased ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

NEW YORK Reuters - U S stocks jumped on Wednesday as oil prices which have held investor enthusiasm for stocks in check for months fell sharply after a higher-than-expected crude build last week ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Bulgarian teenager Valeri Bojinov scored twice as Lecce came from two goals behind to draw 2-2 with Inter Milan in Italian first division league on Wednesday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

MOSCOW October 28 Itar-Tass - People in Russia 39 s European part will have an opportunity to see a full eclipse of the Moon during several hours Thursday morning said Dr Andrei Finkelshtein director of the Russian Institute of Applied Astronomy ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

LONDON Reuters - Oil steadied on Thursday after Wednesday's 5 percent retreat from record highs as traders concluded that China's surprise interest rate rise would not do much to dampen fuel demand growth ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Long live the real Bilbo Baggins the first Little People of the World Homo floresiensis and Homo sapien archeologists Michael Morwood Peter Brown and Professor Soejono ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Florida long-snapper Casey Griffith let the secret slip while talking to a Fort Lauderdale Fla Sun-Sentinel reporter this week quot Don 39 t tell anyone I told you this but someone inside the system told me they heard we 39 re going to be playing against ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The Standard amp Poor 39 s 500 Index rose for a fourth day as investors looked past a disappointing third- quarter economic growth report to better-than-expected readings on Chicago-area business and consumer confidence ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

KUWAIT CITY - Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar arrived in Kuwait on Saturday for a two-day official visit an AFP correspondent reported ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

A key deadline to bring Australia 39 s Free Trade Agreement with the United States into force has expired But the Australian Government is still confident the deal will come into effect next year as Louise Willis reports ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Sysco Corp the country 39 s largest food service distributor Monday said profit for its latest quarter rose 8 percent as it increased sales and trimmed expenses despite the hurricanes in the Southeast ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The Premier League has charged Aston Villa manager David O 39 Leary with making an illegal approach for Southampton striker James Beattie ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Oil prices jumped above 50 a barrel this morning supported by US election tallies projecting a slim lead for President George W Bush ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

LA CORUNA November 3 Champions League - Rafael Benitez heard his name ring around a Spanish stadium in his homeland again but this time it was from Scouse voices rather than those in Valencia with whom he won La Liga ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

President Bush told a Thursday news conference he would continue to lead the United States in promoting freedom and democracy in the Middle East ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

A letter left on the body of murdered film-maker Theo van Gogh reportedly threatens the life of a liberal politician ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Vornado Realty Trust said on Friday it has acquired a 4 3 percent stake in the retailer Sears Roebuck amp Co Sears 39 stock rose as high as 45 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The market researcher has predicted a 6 2 percent increase in software revenues during 2004 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

HUNTSVILLE ONT - The Ontario government plans to introduce legislation that will require students to stay in school until they reach the age of 18 said the province ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

PARIS Reuters - Yasser Arafat critically ill in a Paris hospital has suffered liver failure a Palestinian official said on Sunday as Arafat's subordinates decided in his absence to enforce a law and order plan in Palestinian areas ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

There are two topics most venture capitalists hate to discuss companies they invested in that tanked and companies they didn't invest in that soared ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Treasuries slipped lower on Monday as investors positioned themselves to absorb 51 billion of new supply this week ahead of an expected Federal Reserve increase in official interest rates ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

A four-year-long study of the Arctic climate confirms what many in Canada 39 s North have been saying for years -- the Arctic is melting and faster all the time ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The Football Association are set to wait until after the conclusion of any disciplinary action against Arsene Wenger before trying to broker a peace summit between Arsenal and Manchester United ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

DSL at 3mbps debuts in areas within company's existing footprint ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Iran will pull out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty NPT and develop its atomic programme in secret if Western nations threaten or put pressure on Tehran a senior Iran diplomat was quoted as saying on Wednesday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

ROME Juventus extended their lead at the top of Serie A to six points after they scraped a 1-0 home win over Fiorentina and closest rivals AC Milan were held to a goalless draw at Brescia ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

LONDON Dow Jones --Metropolitan Life Global Funding has mandated HSBC Deutsche Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland to lead-manage its forthcoming sterling-denominated bond issue one of the lead managers said Thursday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AFP - The hit US television show quot 24 quot is going from the small screen to the smaller after 20th Century Fox and Vodaphone struck a groundbreaking deal to distribute the drama on mobile telephones ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

George Mason has five players score in double figures Thursday night as the Patriots defeat Indianapolis-Purdue Fort Wayne 69-51 in the opening round of the Coaches vs Cancer Classic ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Forbes com - ARRIS GROUP 5 ARRS saw its market cap unjustifiably halved recently when Comcast a huge customer 24 of Arris' sales hinted it might buy next-generation technology from Cisco Systems Arris supplies the technical guts that cable companies use to provide phone service For the reverse phenomenon see story on p 162 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - The Iraqi government rushed reinforcements Friday to the country's third-largest city Mosul seeking to quell a deadly militant uprising that U S officials suspected may be in support of the resistance in Fallujah 151 now said to be under 80 percent U S control ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

David Beckham out for a month with broken ribs was named by Sven-Goran Eriksson to England 39 s team for its friendly match on Wednesday against Spain at Real Madrid 39 s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Voters apparently weren 39 t the only ones willing to stand in long lines The release of this year 39 s two hottest video games - Grand Theft Auto San Andreas and Halo 2 - had gamers lined up at stores across the nation to pick up their pre-ordered games ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Mumbai Oil and Natural Gas Corporation ONGC and Scottish oil firm Cairn Energy Ltd have decided to team up for oil exploration and production E amp P in the domestic as well as international markets ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

London - The International Cricket Council ICC on Monday confirmed that it had received notice from the Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI that it was intending to appeal against captain Sourav Ganguly 39 s two Test match suspension ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Info World - Dell Computer re-energized its enterprise-class blade server strategy on Monday rolling out a new architecture that supports as many as 10 servers in a seven-unit chassis that can fit into a standard-size rack ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Acer has announced the newest addition to the Ferrari line of notebooks the Ferrari 3400 The notebook is based on the latest Mobile AMD Athlon 64 processor 3000 for thin and light notebooks ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Sony on Tuesday announced plans to release a new dual-format DVD burner that is compatible with Macintosh computers The external double-layer DVD drive dubbed the DRX -710UL-T is designed to record up to ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The killing of a wounded Iraqi by a U S Marine in Fallujah was termed a tragic incident by the U S military commander in Iraq on Tuesday as Arab satellite channels replayed unedited footage of the shooting as often as every half-hour ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

DISAPPOINTMENT over Wal-Marts third-quarter sales performance and news of a sharp rise in October producer prices sent shares in the United States on a downward path yesterday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

US forces in Fallujah offer food and first aid as they face scattered pockets of guerrilla resistance ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

CURFEWS and alcohol bans may be necessary in Aboriginal communities Prime Minister John Howard said today adding that civil liberties were less important than staying alive ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Google Inc on Thursday formally launched a new search service aimed at scientists and academic researchers Google Scholar is a free beta service that allows users to search for scholarly literature ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Reuters - Nike Inc co-founder Philip Knight who helped transform a small-start up business into the world's biggest athletic shoe company will step down as chief executive officer the company said on Thursday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The most desired electronic gift item for this holiday season is a plasma TV You might however want to consider something that wasn't even in the running L C D ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Federal regulators rejected on Friday the idea that allowing cable TV subscribers to pay only for channels they want would lower high cable bills ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The world's oldest man who gave up driving at 108 because slow drivers annoyed him dies at 113 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

FOGGIA Italy Eight people have been killed in an explosion that leveled a two-story apartment building in southern Italy Firefighters are investigating whether a gas leak is to blame ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

By Sammy Rozenberg AP Staff Writer Boxing Scene Staff Writer Boxing Scene was ready and willing to engage in conversation during the post-fight press conference following the Shane Mosley-Winky Wright rematch ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Astra Zeneca intends to invest over 120m in Cambridge Antibody Technology CAT through an innovative five-year research collaboration and a 75m equity ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Ti Vo Inc TIVO O Quote Profile Research maker of digital television recorders on Monday said its quarterly net loss widened as it boosted spending to acquire customers but subscribers to its fee-based TV service rose ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

GAZA Reuters - Israeli soldiers shot dead five Palestinians in north Gaza on Tuesday after mortar fire from Palestinian militants wounded two people in a nearby Jewish settlement medics on both sides said ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The UN workers who helped to run a presidential election won last month by US -backed incumbent Karzai discussed their ordeal with him at his presidential palace in the morning ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Millions of holiday travelers nationwide are experiencing an all-too-intimate form of security screening that some say amounts to sexual groping - a quot pat-down quot by government officials ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

In a pace-setting adventure next January that could herald a new beginning in the Middle East or spell disaster for all is the election of a Palestinian successor to the charismatic Yasser Arafat and a new Baghdad regime that could bring to an end the ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - California quarterback Aaron Rodgers will skip his senior season to enter the NFL draft ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

TORONTO -- The weather won't be the only thing that's cool when President Bush visits neighboring Canada next week ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

A former US Army sergeant who defected to North Korea almost 40 years ago - has been released after serving 25 days in military detention in Japan ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Jermain Defoe underlined his claims for an improved contract as he inspired Tottenham to a 2-0 win against 10-man Middlesbrough New coach Martin Jol who secured his first win in charge may have been helped ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

NEW YORK Reuters - Oil prices slid 3 percent on Monday on expectations that more mild U S weather at the start of the New Year will limit heating oil demand ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

WASHINGTON Reuters - President Bush on Monday chose Carlos Gutierrez the Cuban-born CEO of Kellogg Co as his nominee to be commerce secretary his second selection of a Hispanic for a second-term Cabinet ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - Hours after a tsunami flattened south Asia beaches 151 a magnet for thousands of vacationing Swedes 151 the Swedish foreign minister went to the theater ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

No Ahman Green no problem At least that 39 s what it looked like on Monday night as the Green Bay Packers ran roughshod over the St ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

After his son's life was ended by an American bullet an Iraqi insurgent undertook a harrowing escape to a lonely exile in Baghdad where he waits to fight another day ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Foreign shrimp producers have denied they are selling shrimp at artificially low prices as a way to win a larger share of the US market ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The longtime rivals claim that they 39 ll work harder to make their software work together By Aaron Ricadela Longtime rivals Microsoft and Sun Microsystems have made a quot 180-degree U-turn quot in their relationship ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

short for quot Weblog quot -- was the most-frequently requested definition at Merriam-Webster 39 s online dictionary site the publisher says ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

SINGAPORE Reuters - Battered oil prices struggled on Friday to shake off this week's 6 slump edging up from a 12-week low after a massive round of selling triggered by easing worries about winter supply ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

HELSINKI Nokia said the respected head of its networks unit had resigned and another top networks official left in the second major departure of top management in two weeks at the world 39 s largest mobile phone maker ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

OAKLAND California Reuters - Barry Bonds took creams and oils that could have contained steroids but did so unknowingly out of blind faith in his trainer and best friend the baseball player's lawyer said on Friday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The US is sending up to 600 marines and relief supplies to flood-ravaged areas of the Philippines ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

A MAN suspected of helping former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein commit war crimes and genocide by supplying him with materials for chemical weapons has been arrested by the Netherlands authorities ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - Steve Gleason of the New Orleans Saints was fined 36 5 000 by the NFL on Wednesday after being thrown out of last week's game with Carolina for punching the Panthers' Kemp Rasmussen at the end of a kickoff return ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Rafael Benitez praised the captain 39 s performance of Steven Gerrard after his dramatic late goal earned Liverpool a place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

REAL Philippines AFP - Philippine rescuers were frantically digging for more survivors after four people including a toddler were pulled alive from a building crushed by a landslide 11 days ago ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

President Bush's inaugural committee seeking to raise more than 40 million a record sent out hundreds of solicitations ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Tom Clements has emerged on a short list of candidates whom Notre Dame has targeted for its head coaching vacancy ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

AP - President Vicente Fox presented a plan Friday to improve Mexico's checkered human rights record pledging to eradicate torture and to hold corrupt and abusive authorities accountable for wrongful arrests and shoddy police work ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

ANAHEIM Calif There 39 s a chance John Smoltz could return to the Atlanta Braves 39 rotation if the team finds another closer ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Free agent first baseman Richie Sexson appears to be at the top of the Orioles' wish list after a meeting at the team's suite on Saturday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

LONDON CBS MW - Failed efforts to merge stock exchanges have littered the trading landscape in recent years but the German stock exchange isn 39 t giving up on creating a pan-European and British market for trading stocks and derivatives ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

United Healthcare Insurance Co a branch of United Health Group will pay 3 5 million to settle charges that it defrauded the Medicare program the US Department of Justice announced Monday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Firefox the Mozilla-based open-source browser has grown by more than a third over the past month according to Web Side Story an independent Web metrics firm ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Sprint Corp 39 s enterprise operation including its nationwide fiber-optic network suddenly is looking like a swan and not a lame duck as Verizon Wireless assesses the possibility of making a bid for Sprint in the boiling cell-phone merger scene ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

quot There is a very good argument to say that the Italian car plants could benefit from the relocation of other GM businesses in Europe quot Marchionne was quoted as saying ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Toshiba has developed what it claims are the world 39 s first hard disk drives based on perpendicular recording a technology that can boost data density on a single 1 8in hard-disk platter to 40GB ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

HONG KONG Dow Jones --Shares of Air China Ltd 0753 HK the country 39 s largest airline opened 6 higher at their debut Wednesday on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange 39 s main board ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

PASADENA Calif -- The first football meeting between Michigan and Texas in yesterday's Rose Bowl brought together two coaching legends -- Bo Schembechler and Darrell Royal ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Jason Kidd had the pass of the night an off-the-backboard alley-oop feed that Vince Carter dunked and the New Jersey Nets defeated the New York Knicks and their self-proclaimed best point guard in the NBA 93-87 last night at Madison Square Garden Kidd didn't outplay point guard counterpart Stephon Marbury who made that bold declaration the previous day at practice

Ziff Davis - Security sources announce four mostly unrelated enterprise vulnerabilities in Cisco Unity Cisco Guard Veritas' Backup Exec and Samba the Windows file-sharing utility for Linux ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

US consumer prices rose modestly in November as a surge in energy costs a month earlier moderated the Labor Department said on Friday ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___